Mommyness
by reachfortheschuyler
Summary: Roland likes school. Usually. But after some playground bullies make him question almost everything about his new life, he's left to wonder if he's not just better off living in the forest. Henry might have something to say about that. Hood-Mills family.
1. Chapter 1

Roland likes school. He likes wearing his backpack and he likes how soft his uniform sweater is and he likes riding the school bus with Henry. His teacher is nice and smells good and she always smiles at him whenever he answers a question right. He likes learning his letters and sounding out words because sometimes at home he can read stuff and then Papa and Regina get really excited and tell him that before he knows it he'll be reading books just like Henry.

He hopes he'll be as smart as Henry. Henry's really smart.

He likes music class because they sing songs and play instruments and clap their hands and it reminds him of singing with his uncles and Papa around the campfire (but his uncles and Papa aren't always the best singers. Sometimes they sing really loud and Uncle Tuck told him it was because they drank too much of the goldy brown stuff he's not allowed to try).

He likes art class because he gets to paint with bright happy colors and sometimes he gets to paint the forest and flowers and birds and other times he gets to paint Papa, Regina, Henry, and him in front of their house. Regina likes those paintings the best. She always hangs them on the 'frigerator. One time he painted a picture of Henry and him and Henry liked it so much he said he would hang it in his locker at his school. Roland felt pretty special after that.

He likes lunch because Regina always packs him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into shapes like ducks and bears and hearts. Sometimes, she'll put marshmallow fluff on his sandwich instead of jelly and those are the lunches he likes the best.

One time, Papa packed his lunch and he remembered to cut the crusts off his sandwich, but he didn't cut it into a fun shape and the peanut butter and jelly weren't spread as perfectly and so Roland requested that only Regina pack his lunch from then on. He thought Papa might be upset about that, but he had only laughed and agreed that Regina was a much better lunch packer than he was. So Regina always packs his lunch.

Recess comes after lunch and normally Roland likes that too. He plays with his classmates and runs around with his friends and he teaches them how to play the games Uncle John and Uncle Will like to play with him back at the camp. Normally, it's fun. But today, Roland's not entirely sure he likes recess anymore. In fact, Roland's not entirely sure he likes school at all anymore.

He's sorting through a tangle of jump ropes, trying to find the perfect one to use as a lasso for Cowboys and Indians when he first hears the older boy. "Look, he's got no friends. I told you so," the taunting voice drifts across the playground.

Roland turns around, jump ropes still in hand, to see three older boys standing a few feet away from him, looking at him with funny smiles. They aren't nice smiles like the kind Regina always gives him; there's something strange about them. The boys are older than him, but not as old as Henry. They must be fourth graders. Uh oh.

Are they talking about him? That doesn't make sense because he has a lot of friends. They're across the playground waiting for him, he just has to get the right jump rope and then-

The older boys are walking toward him now and something flip flops in his stomach. His sandwich was shaped like a bunny today. Maybe it's hopping around in his belly-

"What are you looking at, freak?" the boy in front sneers, towering over the little kindergartner.

Roland feels his insides sink down into his shoes. He wonders if his voice slipped down with them because suddenly he can't talk.

The older boy yanks the jump rope from Roland's hands and leans in really close to his face. His eyes aren't nice. "I _said_ , what are you looking at? _Freak."_

Roland swallows, wishing the bunny would stop hopping around his belly. His voice comes back up from his shoes. "I… I'm not a… a freak," he answers, his voice sounding very small. He wishes his voice would sound bigger, like Papa's or Regina's when she's angry at someone.

"Not a freak?" the boy repeats with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. He laughs a short, mean laugh. "Of course you're a freak. Your whole house is full of freaks."

Well that doesn't make sense. Papa's not a freak. And neither are Regina and Henry. This boy doesn't know what he's talking about obviously. "I don't live with freaks," Roland declares, his voice much bigger now.

"Sure about that?," the boy asks. "You live with the Evil Queen. You better watch out or she might poison your lunch with some weird potion."

Roland blinks. Regina would never do something like that! But his stomach _is_ feeling a little funny…

"And her kid who has two moms and writes magic books," the boy is talking again and Roland scrunches his face up.

Well, sure, Henry has two mommies and he likes to read a lot, but he's never seen him write a _magic_ book before… he didn't think Henry knew how to do magic at all. Maybe Regina's been teaching him. But if she's teaching Henry why hasn't she been teaching him? Is it because mommies are supposed to teach their kids magic and he's not actually hers? But that doesn't matter right? She loves him, she tells him every night, but does she not love him enough to teach him magic? Roland feels a stinging, hurty feeling in his throat. His eyes start to feel funny, like they're trying to squeeze out of his head.

"And soon you're going to have a little sister whose mom is the Wicked Witch and then you'll have a really big freak in your house. She might turn you into a frog if you're not careful," the boy keeps going (why does he have so many words? Can't he stop talking for a minute?).

Oh yeah. Roland's little sister. The one that's going to show up in a few months. The one that he doesn't really know where she's coming from, but Papa said she'll be his sister and he guesses that's okay since he thinks it'll be fun being an older brother. But why would the Wicked Witch be her mommy? He doesn't think that would be too fun, having a little sister who's a witch. But Papa never told him she's going to be a witch. Why would Papa lie to him like that? Papa's never lied to him before. Everything is so confusing all of a sudden…

"But you're the biggest freak of them all. You know why?" the boy taunts, jabbing a chubby finger at Roland's chest. He shakes his head really small.

"Because even though the Evil Queen's kid has two moms and your sister's is the Wicked Witch, you don't have a mom at all."

But… but… well, that's… just… does it… Roland's mind tries to find some kind of explanation for that, but he keeps coming up with sentences that won't finish. He thinks he hears the bell for the end of recess, but he's not really sure. His thoughts are suddenly so loud and he can't hear much else beside them. He _had_ a mommy at one point. He must have. Papa's told him about her before, but he just doesn't… he just can't… if only he could _remember_ her. And Regina… she's… well, she's _kind of_ like a mommy, but he guesses it's only pretend. Henry is her son, not him. Why would she need another one? Oh, but Regina would be such a great mommy. Henry is so lucky. Roland gets a little angry then. Why does Henry get to have Regina for a mommy and he doesn't? And why does his little sister get to a have mommy too, but he still doesn't? It's not fair! He wants a mommy _so bad._

He can't think about much else the rest of the day. And the stinging, hurty feeling in his throat won't go away. He doesn't clap his hands in music class and he doesn't sing along. His mouth won't stop frowning and you can't sing with a frowning mouth. He paints in art class, but the colors aren't happy anymore and he doesn't paint Papa, Regina, Henry, and him because just thinking about any of them make his mouth frown even more and his eyes start to sting and he doesn't want to paint them anyway because they're not a family because Regina's not his mommy and Henry's not his brother and his little sister that's gonna show up soon just makes everything more confusing.

His mouth is still frowning when school is finally over and he just wants to go back to the camp with his uncles and play games with them and cook food over the fire and be far away from not-mommies and not-brothers and showing-up-little-sisters. But he can't do that because Regina's picking him up from school today.

She's standing with the other parents when his teacher leads his class outside, but why would she stand with the real mommies if she's not his? The thought makes his frown scrunch up into a pout and he feels his lips start to shake. She sees him and smiles, but then her eyebrows scrunch together like she's worried and why would she worry about him if he's not her son? The stinging in his eyes gets worse and suddenly he can't see very well because his eyes are watery and he doesn't want to cry but he doesn't think he can stop it. When his teacher tells him he can go, he walks toward Regina, sniffing and blinking hard trying to keep his tears in his eyes, but then she squats down so her face is right in front of his and she's smiling at him but her eyes are worried and she asks him what's the matter and isn't that what mommies are supposed to do? Why isn't she his mommy? Why, why, why? He shakes his head but then the tears are falling out of his eyes and he's crying and he can't stop.

Regina wraps her arms around him and pulls him close and she strokes his hair and tells him that it's alright, that she's got him. But she doesn't have him, he thinks. Because he's not hers. He feels her pick him up and he locks his arms behind her neck and tucks his legs around her waist and cries into her shoulder.

"Roland, sweetheart, what's the matter?" she asks him, her hand running through his curls.

He wants to answer, he wants to tell her how much he wishes she was his mother and Henry was his brother, but he can't find his voice again so he just shakes his head again and keeps crying. He feels her start to move and he realizes she's walking and then she stops and through his tears he can see the other parents behind them looking at him and looking at Regina and he can't tell why their faces look so strange but soon they're taking their own children and walking away.

"Did something happen?" he hears Regina ask.

"I'm really not sure," his teacher's voice answers. "He was fine this morning, but then he just seemed upset all afternoon. I couldn't get anything from him."

He feels Regina nod and then his teacher tells him that she hopes he feels better and she'll see him tomorrow. Regina walks to the car and she sets him down on the ground in front of her. She smooths out his hair and runs a hand across his cheek and jaw. "So do you want to tell me what's wrong now?" she asks, her voice soft and smooth. She uses one of her thumbs to brush away the tears still running down his cheeks and it just makes more tears come out because Roland doesn't think he can stop crying if she keeps doing that- mommies are supposed to do that.

"No," he manages to say and he closes his eyes so he can't see her worried face and the loving way she's looking at him and the _mommyness_ of her. "Can we just go home?"

He hears her sigh and he thinks she sounds sad but then she's opening the car door and helping him into his car seat and buckling him in. He doesn't look at her when she gets into the car. He just stares out the window at his school, a place he's pretty sure he doesn't like anymore.

* * *

Regina has seen Roland cry exactly two times. Once when he woke from a nightmare so horrible he didn't sleep again for two days, even with her and Robin's combined presence in his room. Another time when he had overheard a particularly heated exchange between her and his father in the kitchen after they thought he had long past fallen asleep.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" she had shouted, knuckles white in her grip of the counter top.

"Of course I don't, but _damn it,_ Regina, I've lost you before and I am _not_ losing you again!" he had yelled back, his face growing red with frustration.

"I could say the exact same thing to you!" she had cried, feeling traitorous tears stinging the back of her eyes. It was then that she had heard someone actually crying and they had both turned to see Roland standing in

the doorway, pajama-clad and hair sticking out every which way. Tears were steadily flowing over his plump cheeks and he was looking at them with such fear that she hated herself for drawing such awful emotions out of such a little boy.

"Why are you fighting?" he had asked, his voice so quiet and small. "Do you guys not love each other anymore?"

And then there had been tears on her part and Robin's as well except he had stayed dry-eyed through putting Roland back to bed with plenty of reassurances that yes, they indeed still love each other and that they were just having an argument because sometimes grownups do that. No, her thief broke down after his son was peacefully asleep once more and they had retired to their room and were alone with their respective worries. And then she had cried again and he had cried with her, both so filled with emotions too strong for them to fully comprehend.

So it is safe to say Regina isn't entirely familiar with a crying Roland. And especially not when he cries for this long. Tears are still flowing down his cheeks when she pulls into the driveway of the mansion, all attempts she had made during the ride over to calm him falling flat. She unbuckles him from his car seat without a word, analyzing the way he won't meet her eyes. Her mind has been reeling ever since she saw his forlorn expression standing in line with his classmates. What could have possibly happened to her sweet boy to not only make him inconsolable but to also make him unwilling to tell her what was troubling him?

She slings his backpack over her one shoulder and holds out her hand for him to take, feeling a slight flicker of relief when he wraps his tiny fingers around hers. But that flicker fades when he runs away from her as soon as she unlocks the front door. He doesn't even take off his shoes by the door before he's scurrying up the steps.

"Roland-" she starts, following him to the bottom of the stairs, but she's cut off by the slamming of his bedroom door, the silence of the house her only reply.

She suddenly is bombarded with memories of Henry behaving the same way, of him pushing her away and not talking to her because he said she was evil. But Roland knew who she was before, they had met in the Enchanted Forest when her title seemed to still follow her everywhere. He wasn't afraid of her then and he's not afraid of her now. Or at least, she doesn't think he's afraid of her. But children on the playground can say cruel things and the thought of one of them saying wicked things about her to one of her strongest believers has her blood boiling and her stomach churning. She went through this once with Henry. She's not sure she can do it again with Roland.

A fleeting wish for Robin's calming presence runs through her before she remembers it's only half past three and he won't be home for a few more hours. Henry, though, should be home soon, after he's done visiting his grandparents and uncle. She takes a deep breath and prays he doesn't take too long at the Charmings. If her little knight is troubled, maybe her little prince can help her fix whatever she fears is breaking.


	2. Chapter 2

The house is curiously quiet when Henry steps through the front door, backpack slung over one shoulder. He can't remember the last time he came home to a quiet house; not since the people living there had multiplied from two to four. The sounds of the television, the music of the radio, and the whirring of a kitchen being used often created a homey sort of cacophony that sent a good feeling from his ears to his toes. But now it's quiet. And there's not a sign of his mother or Roland or Robin. Strange.

"Mom?" he calls out from the foyer, toeing his school shoes off by the door. He swore he saw her car in the driveway when he came up the walk…

"Kitchen, Henry," comes the response, but there's something off about it. Something that has him walking with more purpose toward the room in question.

When his mom comes into view, her face reinforces the off-sound of her voice. She's leaning against the island, arms resting on the countertop, a piece of paper in front of her. Her eyebrows are scrunched together and her face is… well, it's not worried, but it's definitely concerned. She barely glances up at him as he comes fully into the room.

"Something the matter?" he asks, setting his backpack on the floor.

She shakes her head infinitesimally, worrying her teeth over her bottom lip. "I'm not sure."

Henry glances down at the paper in front of her- one of Roland's paintings from school, the one that had been hanging on the fridge for a few weeks now, a proud display of the kindergartner's interpretation of their family. He reaches over and slides it in front of him, wondering just why his mother is so worked up about a child's painting. "Let me guess. Roland's decided he wants to drop out of school to be an artist and you can't convince him that's not a very smart life choice," Henry quips, smile spreading across his face at his own joke.

Regina exhales loudly, the undertones of a laugh lost somewhere in her lungs. "Maybe that's it," she grumbles, taking the painting from Henry and hanging it back on the fridge with a magnet.

"So something is the matter, then. With Roland?" Henry deduces, crossing his arms and leaning forward on the counter. Strange. The little boy is one of the happiest kids Henry's ever met and considering everything Roland's been through at his young age, that's saying something.

"Yeah, with Roland," his mom confirms, leaning back against the sink, arms crossed in front of her. "He was incredibly upset when I picked him up from school. His teacher said he had been that way all afternoon and when I tried to ask him what was wrong, he didn't tell me. He said he just wanted to go home, but when we got here, he ran right up the stairs to his room and shut the door. He hasn't come down since."

"Have you tried to talking to him since you got home?"

Regina nods exasperatedly. "Several times. I even tried bribing him with brownies with no luck."

"Whoa, the kid must really be upset," Henry says, only half-joking. Roland has never, at least in Henry's memory, turned down "making brownies with R'gina." Something must actually be wrong. "Do you… do you want me to try talking to him?"

His mom's eyes flick up to him at that, noticeable relief and thanks shining through. "Would you? He might respond better to someone who's not his… to someone who's not an adult," Regina reasons, but Henry doesn't miss the flicker of confusion that crosses her face when she corrects herself mid-sentence. To someone who's not his… what?

"Sure thing," Henry agrees regardless, picking his backpack up from where he had dropped it earlier. "And, I mean, Roland might have turned down those brownies, but I certainly wouldn't say no to them."

His mom rolls her eyes and walks over to him, a smile finally gracing her face. "If you can get through to him, you can have an entire batch to yourself." She places a kiss on his cheek at his exclamation of, "Awesome!" before putting her hands on his shoulders and turning him around. "But not before then."

"Of course not," Henry assures her with mock-seriousness because he knows regardless of his success or failure with Roland, his mother will be making brownies the second he's up the stairs. And sure enough, when he's at the top of the stairs, he hears the beeping of the oven being set and the clanging of mixing bowls being taken out of the cupboard. He takes a quick detour to his own room, dropping off his backpack and shrugging off his uniform cardigan, before he treks down the hall to Roland's, bracing himself for rejection from a five-year-old.

He knocks gently, not wanting to scare the poor kid. "Roland?" he calls, just loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door. "It's me. I was hoping we could talk." Silence is his response, but he waits a few seconds before trying again. "It's just me, I promise. Mom's downstairs making brownies, but she said we only get them if you talk to me. And you know how much I love Mom's brownies." He waits again, but this time he hears bedsprings creaking with movement and the sound of little feet moving over carpet. A second later, the door knob unlocks with a click and the door opens just enough for a curly head of hair to poke through.

Roland peers up at him with shining eyes, puffy and red from what seems to have been a very long afternoon of tears. His mouth is tugged down into a prominent pout. He looks down right miserable and Henry feels a surge of affection for the child who has become his shadow these past few months. Squatting down so he's on eye-level with him, Henry offers a sympathetic smile. "I heard you've had a pretty rough afternoon. Why don't you let me in and we can talk about it?"

Roland sniffs and runs the back of his hand across his nose. "Only if you promise not to tell Papa or Regina," he whimpers, head hanging a little lower.

Henry runs his hand across his chest and holds it out in front of him. "Cross my heart," he promises, honing his face into a serious expression. That seems to be enough for the kid because soon he's opening the door wider and walking back to his bed, scrambling on top with all the grace a five-year-old can muster, which isn't much. Henry enters and closes the door behind him, noticing Roland's shoes haphazardly discarded right next to the doorway. At least he had remembered to take them off before sitting on the bed if not before coming up the stairs.

"So Mom tells me you were pretty upset when she picked you up from school," Henry begins, sitting on the edge of the bed, one foot on the floor and the other dangling from where his knee rests on top.

Roland sniffs and pulls his stuffed monkey from under his pillow. "I don't ever want to go back there again," he confesses, voice slightly muffled from burying his face in the toy's fur.

"Why's that?" Henry asks gently because Roland loves school. He wakes up an hour early every morning just so he's "extra" ready for when the school bus comes. As far as Henry knows, the kid seems to have plenty of friends and likes his teacher, so what could have happened- oh. A familiar oil slick of dread starts to wind itself up Henry's stomach as he suddenly remembers why he himself hadn't wanted to go back to school not so long ago. Bullies who called him names and made fun of him and picked on him for being the mayor's son. There were some mornings his mom had to literally drag him to school, back to that place where teeth and claws were waiting to tear him apart. He had almost forgotten, but now, seeing his sorta brother dealing with the horrors, the old emotions are starting to resurface again.

Roland shrugs in response to Henry's question and hides his eyes in the comfort of his stuffed animal again. He mumbles something, but it gets lost in the fur. Henry reaches over and gently pulls the monkey from the little boy's face, revealing a fresh coat of tears on puffy cheeks.

"Roland, did other kids pick on you today?" Henry guesses, knowing full-well the answer.

A sniff, a slow nod, and a tear dropping on monkey fur is the answer he receives.

Henry takes a deep breath. There seems to be a limitless amount of things for kids to bully Roland for, the majority- if not all- of which are out of the little boy's control. His newness- having not come over with the first curse and missing the brief stint of normalcy earlier in the winter makes him the only new student in a school full of extremely familiar faces.

His living situation- half the time he lives here with Henry and his mom, the other half he lives back with Robin's Merry Men at their camp, but slowly his time at the mansion has been increasing at the expense of his time with his uncles.

His home life- living with someone who holds the reputation of the Evil Queen certainly makes him odd in the eyes of the other students and Robin and Regina are together, technically, but it's a weird thing because it's not like they're married, but half the time it feels like the four of them are becoming a family, only for something to happen and it feels like they're just kidding themselves into thinking they'll actually get to be happy.

And then, of course, there's the baby thing. A complicated mess that even Henry doesn't fully understand and no one likes to talk about because talking about it usually ends in either Robin or Regina getting upset. But, of course, there's no denying that there is a baby on the way and Henry's old crib is repainted and set up in a guest room-turned-nursery and decisions must be made about custody and parentage and all this other adult stuff that he hears his mom and Robin talking about for hours at night when they think both he and Roland are asleep.

So, yeah. An ample amount of ammunition for bullies to use against Henry's sorta brother.

"What did they say?" Henry starts, knowing he's in for a long battle of untying knots so recently formed in the little boy.

Roland swallows and looks away. "They… they said that… that I live with freaks." His eyes meet Henry's then and he shakes his head vigorously. "But Henry, I don't think you guys are freaks."

"Then that's all that matters-"

"But Henry, they… they said others things too," Roland interrupts, leaning forward.

"What other things did they say?"

Roland looks away again, hesitation crossing his face. He looks up at Henry again, suddenly, and blurts, "Is Regina teaching you magic?"

Henry has to stop himself from laughing at the ridiculousness of the question. His mom would never teach him magic ever, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Where on earth would Roland ever get the slightest indication that she was? Well, he supposes he _is_ the Author now. Maybe that's where those kids got such an idea. But Mom would never let him dabble in magic otherwise. She rarely uses it in front of either of them anyway, unless of course it's necessary. "No, of course she isn't," Henry answers, managing to leave most of the bewilderment out of his voice. "Why would you think she was? You know she doesn't like to use it around us."

Roland sighs, shoulders visibly deflating, and then everything tumbles out at once. He tells Henry all about what those bullies said- from the implication that Regina might try to poison his lunch to the blatant lie that she was teaching him magic so he could write magic books to the whole baby thing. "And Henry, they said Zelena is my sister's mommy but that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

Henry sighs and shakes his head. "You're right about that one, kid. It doesn't make sense," he mutters.

"But is it true?" Roland presses, eyes wide with confusion.

Well, crap. He hadn't thought the conversation would go in this direction. How is he supposed to answer a question like that without spilling the whole can of beans they've been trying to keep from Roland? He takes a deep breath. "Well, you see, buddy, a couple of months ago…" But he stops himself. There's a better way to handle this. "You know how I have two mommies? I have Regina-" he gestures toward the door- "And I have Emma." Roland nods. "Well, I have two mommies because when just Emma was my mommy, she wasn't able to take care of me. She was too young to be a mommy and she needed to learn how to take care of herself before she could take care of me. You follow?" The little boy nods, head cocked in curiosity.

"So, Regina became my mommy. Because she knew how to take care of me and she needed someone to love her just like I did. We were the perfect fit." Henry smiles at the thought that if the mother in question was listening to this, she'd be a sniffling mess by now. "And then later, when Emma was older and she knew how to take care of herself, she found me again and she became my mommy too. So now I have two mommies to love and take care of me."

Roland nods, but Henry notices his face fall slightly. Confusion, he thinks. "Well, the same thing is going to happen with your little sister," he continues, hoping the further explanation will provide some clarity for the boy. "You see, when she's born, Zelena isn't going to be able to take care of her. She, uh, needs to learn how to… love other people first." _Wow, smooth one, Mills._ "So, since my mom- Regina- knows how to take care of kids who need mommies, she's going to be your sister's mommy, just like she became mine. And if Zelena ever learns how to be a mommy, then maybe she can be your sister's mommy too and then she'll have two mommies just like me." _Yeah, fat chance there._ Henry smiles then, quite impressed with his own explanation if he does say so himself, but then his face falls when Roland's does, a new stream of tears cascading down his cheeks.

"Roland, what's the matter?" Henry asks, a hint of panic in his voice. Did he completely screw that up? Was it too much for a little kindergartner mind to handle? Well, crap, he can probably kiss those brownies goodbye…

"It's not fair," Roland finally blubbers, small fists rubbing at his eyes.

"What's not fair?"

"You have two mommies and my little sister is going to have two mommies and I don't have ANY mommies!" Roland cries, his volume increasing with his tears. "It's not fair!"

A crying, frustrated, upset Roland. What an unusual sight, the back of Henry's mind thinks, but the front his mind is busy coming up with ways to soothe and reassure. "But you do have mommies," he promises quickly, hand stretching out to squeeze the little boy's shoulder. "You have two just like I do."

Roland's blubbering stops at that, snot and residual tears still marring his features. "I… I do?" he hiccups.

Henry smiles again, nodding adamantly. He's not sure if he's venturing into shaky ground here, but the sight of the little boy so upset has him reaching for anything that will make it better. "Of course you do. You remember your papa telling you about your first mommy? About Marian?"

A hiccup escapes from Roland's lips, but he nods slowly, brow furrowed in concentration. "I think so. He used to tell me stories about her back in Sherwood. But he hasn't really talked about her lately."

 _I don't blame him._ Nothing against the woman herself, but the memory of her being tainted so viciously probably makes Robin hesitant to venture down that particular memory lane. "Well, her name was Marian and she loved you just like a mommy should. You didn't need another mommy back then because she knew exactly how to be one." Roland seems somewhat comforted by that and Henry relaxes. So far, so good. "But then, something very sad happened and she died. So that meant she couldn't be your mommy anymore even though she really wanted to be. Do you remember your papa telling you about that?"

Roland nods. "Yeah, he gets really sad when he talks about it though. I don't like asking."

Henry nods in understanding. "So Marian is one of your mommies, but she isn't able to take care of you anymore. You remember what happens when someone's mommy isn't able to take care of them?"

Brows furrow and brown eyes squint in concentration as Roland puts together what Henry has been leading him to. All at once, his eyebrows raise and his eyes widen and his mouth opens. "Someone else becomes their mommy."

"Mmhmm," Henry hums. He leans forward and tilts his head. "And who do you think that someone is?"

A smile finally breaks out across Roland's face and his eyes fill with excitement instead of tears. "Regina," he murmurs as if her name is the most precious sound in the world.

Henry smiles in return, nodding in confirmation. "She makes a pretty good mom, huh?"

"So she is my mommy, Henry?" Roland exclaims, bottom rising up off the bed in excitement.

"Of course she is," Henry declares, pretty confident his mom wouldn't object to Roland thinking so. She pretty much has been a mother to the boy these past few months and seeing as she and Robin are soulmates, the two Hood boys don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Yay!" Roland shouts, throwing his arms up in celebration, causing a certain monkey to go airborne. "I'm going to go call her mommy right now!" He starts to scramble off the bed, but Henry grabs hold of his shoulder, halting him in his excitement.

"Whoa there, kiddo. We still have some things we need to talk about," Henry reminds him, effectively squashing the smile on Roland's face. The little boy sits reluctantly back down on his bottom and reaches for the monkey he had thrown earlier. "I know," he pouts, chin resting on his palm.

"So, you know all the things those kids said to you aren't true, right? They just said those things to be mean and to hurt your feelings."

Roland nods. "Yeah, I know. Well, now I know."

"And if something like that ever happens again, you need to tell someone right away. It could be a teacher or Mom or Robin or Emma or one of your uncles."

"Or you, Henry?" the little boy chimes in hopefully.

"Of course. Always me," Henry agrees. "Who were these kids anyway? They weren't in your class, were they?"

Roland shakes his head solemnly. "No. They were fourth graders," he answers.

"Ugh. Fourth graders are the worst," Henry concurs, managing to keep his tone serious.

Roland giggles. "But you're bigger than they are, Henry."

"Hey, that's true. If they ever give you trouble again, point them to me. I'll kick their butts."

Roland laughs again. "Reg- Mommy would get so mad at you."

Henry chuckles. "That's probably true. But it'd be worth it."

Roland smiles and looks down, suddenly shy. "Thanks, Henry," he whispers, chancing a glance at the teenager.

"Anytime, bud," Henry promises. He must get his talent for giving hope-like speeches from his grandparents, he thinks. He'll have to thank them for that later. He moves to stand up from the bed but suddenly Roland catapults himself toward Henry and captures him in a very tight hug, tiny arms wrapped firmly around his middle. "Whoa," Henry half-laughs.

"Henry?" the little boy's muffled voice comes somewhere from the teenager's ribs.

"Yeah?"

"You're the best brother ever."

Oh. That's certainly a new one. How'd they get to- oh, well of course they're brothers now. Since Regina is officially mother to both of them. Henry can't help the smile that spreads across his face as he rubs the back of his sorta brother. No, wait. His little brother. Yeah. That's sounds right. His little brother.

* * *

 **A/N:** There's one more chapter because obviously Regina nears to hear Roland call her mommy! I was blown away by the response to this story, so thank you! Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Robin notices when he walks through the front door is the smell of something delicious filling every corner of the house. Dinner must be almost ready. The second thing he notices is that it is peculiarly quiet and still. Toeing off his boots by the door, he sees no eighth grader sitting at the table doing math homework and he hears no kindergartner animatedly recounting the day's adventures to whoever will listen. Strange. "Regina, love?" he calls, walking through the foyer toward the kitchen.

He smiles when he sees her, standing at the stove stirring something in a pot. She looks over her shoulder at him and smiles back, but it's half-hearted and her eyes have something sad hidden within their depths. He steps toward her, hand reaching out and as soon as his fingers brush her elbow, she's turning into him, arms wrapping around his middle. "Hi," he murmurs, one arm encircling her waist and the other sliding through her hair.

She takes a deep, shaky breath against his chest. "Hey," she answers simply, though the fists she has clenched against his back, gripping his shirt, tell him things are probably not that simple.

"Where are the boys?" he asks, brushing a kiss against her hairline. It's rather unusual for them to leave her alone in an unhappy state, unless of course, they're the reason for such a state…

"Roland's room," she responds, pulling back so she can look at him. She kisses him gently before pulling out of his embrace and turning back to the stove. "They've been in there all afternoon."

"Well, that's rather strange," Robin observes neutrally, sensing from her tone they might be about to breach the problematic topic. "Something's the matter, I take it."

She nods, licking her lips thoughtfully as she slowly stirs the pot. "Roland was extremely upset when I picked him up from school today and he's refused to talk to me about it. He just shut himself in his room when we got home and I haven't seen him since. I sent Henry up there when he got home to see if he could get through to him and he hasn't come down yet."

"Roland's teacher didn't know what the matter was?" Robin asks, leaning his hip against the counter next to her so he can watch her expressions. He starts to run his fingers through her hair again, knowing the gesture has a tendency to soothe her. If something is troubling one of their sons, Regina tends to feel a greater pain than either of the boys and this time seems to be no different.

"She said she didn't know what happened. That he was fine this morning and then this afternoon was the complete opposite." She stops stirring then and puts the spoon down. "I think something must've happened at recess." She looks up at him. "I think he might be getting bullied."

Robin's eyebrows go up at that one. "Bullied? I can't imagine Roland ever doing something that would get him bullied."

"You don't _do_ something to get bullied, you just… get bullied," Regina counters. She sighs. "And besides, it's not like there's nothing they can tease him about."

Robin exhales, reluctant to acknowledge that she has a point. Roland somehow manages to live happily oblivious in the mess they've made, the mess he himself made, but the other kids in school are probably much more aware of their situation. And kids can be cruel. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Regina shakes her head and sighs again. "I've tried talking to him so many times already. And he just wouldn't answer. He could hardly look at me, Robin. What if… what if they picked on him about me?"

He shakes his head at that and the urge to hold her again surges through him. His arm circles her waist again and tugs her against him. "Even if they did, Roland would never listen to them. He loves you too much."

"Then why wouldn't he even look at me?" she whispers, nose against his neck, breathing in his scent again.

"I'm sure it's nothing against you, love. The minds of children are difficult places to navigate," Robin assures her even though he has no explanation himself for his son's behavior. Roland has never been guarded around Regina, even in the Enchanted Forest when she was surlier and unhappier as the Evil Queen. A small part of him can't help but think that maybe these schoolyard bullies did say something about her to Roland.

"If Henry can't get through to him, you'll try?" she asks.

"Of course. We can talk to him together," Robin promises, hand rubbing soothing circles against her back. "Don't fret about this, my love. We'll work it out." He feels her exhale against his neck and she places a kiss there before turning herself away from him and reaching for the spoon once more.

"I told you school was a bad idea," she mutters, but he can hear the playfulness in her voice.

He chuckles. "Actually, my love, I believe you were the one who was quite adamant about getting Roland in school as quickly as possible."

"Yes, well, I realize my mistake and give you my permission to pull him out. Everything he needs to know he can learn with me at work."

"Of that I have no doubt," Robin promises, kissing her cheek before stepping over to the dish cupboard. "Although people may not look too kindly on the mayor making exceptions for her own son regarding schooling laws." He starts to pull out plates and bowls from the cupboard, thinking nothing of his comment, until he notices the stirring has stopped once more out of the corner of his eye. He turns to see Regina looking at him with a rather peculiar expression on her face, caught somewhere between surprise, confusion, and joy. "What?" he asks completely innocently.

She shakes her head, expression still peculiar. "You… you said 'her own son.'"

Oh. He did, didn't he? Was… was he not supposed to? He had kind of just assumed Regina thought of Roland as her own now, but he supposes that could be considered jumping ahead of themselves since they've only been back to normal for a few months and Regina isn't one to rush into things. But she doesn't look upset, so maybe he's reading this wrong. He swallows. "I did."

They're interrupted by the pounding of feet on the stairs, the boys making all the noise of circus elephants as they appear for dinner. Regina's face changes suddenly and she looks nervous, anxious. She puts down the spoon and wipes her hands on the dish towel hanging from the oven door. He offers her a smile and nods. "It'll be fine," he whispers just as the boys come into the kitchen.

Henry's first and he seems happy enough, giving his mother a beaming smile as he enters the room. "Hey, Robin," he greets before eyeing a plate of brownies on the counter Robin hadn't noticed until then.

Robin's about to greet the boy in turn, but he's cut off with an enthusiastic exclamation of, "Papa!" Roland bounces into view and jumps into his father's arms, giggling as Robin swings him upward. "Hello, my boy." He kisses his cheek, earning a laugh from the boy. "You seem very excited tonight."

His son giggles and puts a hand on each of Robin's cheeks. "I _am_ very excited, Papa."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Regina told me you were upset when she picked you up from school."

Roland nods, but his smile doesn't fade. "I _was,_ Papa. I was because fourth graders said some really mean things to me. But I know they're not true now."

Robin nods, turning with the boy in his arms so he can make eye contact with Regina. She had been giving Henry looks, obviously trying to get some information from the teenager, but he had been playing coy, smiling and shrugging innocently. Now she looks up at Robin, lip bitten in thought and worry. "Well that's good, my boy. Is that why you're so excited?"

Roland shakes his head, curls bouncing across his forehead. "No, I'm excited about something else."

"And what would that be?"

His son turns then, twists around so he can look at Regina and Henry. Robin watches as Henry winks at the boy and Roland nods in return. He turns back to his father then. "Papa, can you put me down? There's something I have to do."

Robin's eyebrows go up at his son's serious tone and he schools his face into something equally as serious, managing to keep his chuckle from escaping. "Of course, son." He sets Roland down and crosses his arms as he watches the boy take a deep breath before turning to face Regina who looks quite confused.

"Regina?" the boy asks sweetly, hands clasped behind his back.

The woman in question gives Henry one last look and shoots Robin a glance before focusing on the boy in front of her. She smiles gently at him. "Yes, Roland?"

"At school today, some fourth graders told me I was a freak because Henry has two mommies and my little sister's mommy is the Wicked Witch, but I didn't have any mommies."

Robin and Regina's eyes both go wide at the same time, shock spread across their faces. Regina looks up at Robin who looks back with the same sort of panic in his expression. This is just bloody great, he thinks. Not only did some punk kids bully his son, they also revealed one of the biggest secrets he and Regina had been trying to protect Roland from. But his son wasn't done yet, apparently.

"That's why I was sad when you picked me up from school. But I'm not sad anymore."

Regina's mouth opens and closes as she searches for a reply. "Well, that's… good, Roland, but-"

"Wait, wait! There's more!" Roland exclaims, little hands held up to silence. He shares a smile with Henry, and Robin gets the impression the boys planned this entire speech out. "I'm not sad anymore because I know what they said isn't true. I _do_ have a mommy. I have two mommies, just like Henry and just like my little sister."

Robin furrows his brow in confusion. He's not entirely sure where his son is going with this one and from the look on Regina's face, he can tell she's not sure either.

"Henry said that he has two mommies because you became his mommy when Emma couldn't take care of him. And she can now, so now you're both his mommy." Regina smiles slightly at that, glancing quickly up at Henry who grins back. "And then Henry said my little sister is going to have two mommies because when she's born, her mommy isn't going to be able to take care of her, but you will be, so you'll be her mommy too."

Robin stiffens at that. They haven't exactly planned it out so succinctly yet. Regina is definitely going to be a part of this baby's life, but becoming her _mother_ , well, that's something Robin hasn't asked. Dreamed of, certainly, hoped for, of course. But actually asking, well, he hasn't gotten that far yet. Henry, though, had apparently taken that leap for him by putting that notion in Roland's head.

Robin swallows and chances a look at Regina's face. The smile she had grinned for Henry was smaller now, a little tighter, some tension flashing across her face. Well, apparently they'll be having _that_ conversation sooner than he anticipated.

"And then," Roland continues, barely noticing the change in Regina's expression, "Henry said I have two mommies because my first one was a really good mommy, but she's not here anymore, so she can't take of me."

The surge of emotion Robin feels at that is sudden and unexpected. He has to blink a few times to keep his tears in check, caught off guard by hearing his son speak so freely and fondly of Marian.

"But," Roland continues, smiling shyly all of sudden, "you're here, and… and you take care of me and you read me stories and you pack my lunches and you pick me up from school and you brush my hair and you tie my shoes and you kiss my knees when I scrape them and you tuck me in at night and… and that's everything a mommy should do and since… since I… I need a mommy, I was hoping… that you could be mine."

* * *

Regina doesn't know how her tears haven't spilled over yet, but somehow they've managed to stay pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision and she can't even see the little boy standing before her, heart in his hands, asking her the most wonderful question she's ever heard with the easiest answer she's ever had to give. She closes her eyes for a second, causing the tears to finally fall down her cheeks. Apparently, she takes a little too long before she responds because suddenly Roland starts talking again.

"Don't cry, Regina," he pleads, worry etched across his face. "I didn't mean to make you sad, I really didn't. I just… I just really want you to be my mommy." And then he's crying, too, and they can't have that, not when he should be feeling just as wonderful as she is right now.

"No, Roland, no, you didn't make me sad," she hurries to assure him, reaching to pull him into her arms. "You didn't make me sad at all." She brushes the tears from his cheeks and he blinks up at her, confused.

"I didn't?" he sniffs. "Then why did you start to cry?"

She has to laugh, cannot contain the joyous feeling inside her anymore. "I started crying because I'm so happy," she explains, leaning forward so their noses touch. He giggles at the gesture and her heart fills again. She leans back so she can see his face clearly and brushes his hair from his forehead. "There is _nothing_ I would rather be than your mother."

"Really, Regina?" he asks hopefully, as if there was any ounce of doubt.

"Really," she promises, looking him square in the eye. _Her own son, indeed,_ she thinks, gaze flickering over to Robin for a moment to take in his smile, his own fair share of tears pooling in his eyes.

"Yay!" Roland cheers, throwing his arms up in the air before wrapping them tightly around Regina's neck.

She laughs and rubs his back, turning toward Henry to whispers a thank you. He smiles back and her eyes might be deceiving her, but she swears his eyes aren't as dry as they could be.

"So this means I can call you mommy now, right?" Roland asks, head still tucked against her neck.

"You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart."

"I've never gotten to call anyone mommy before," he whispers as if it's a confession.

"Then mommy it is," Regina whispers back, smiling as he pulls back to look at her.

"I'm gonna go into school tomorrow and tell those bullies that I have the best mommy in the whole world and they can't do anything about it," he declares proudly, wriggling so Regina sets him back down on the floor. He turns to face his father, beaming. "Papa, I have a mama now!"

Robin bends down and scoops the little boy up. "That you do, son. I'd say you got pretty lucky, didn't you?" He looks over at Regina then, speaking to still to Roland, but his words meant for her. "I think we _both_ got pretty lucky."

She smiles, fighting a blush and blinking away her remaining tears. There's an argument to be made that she is actually the lucky one, but she supposes there'll be time for that later.

"And Papa, guess what else!" Roland exclaims with ever-growing glee, dimples going into overdrive.

"Oh, there's even more?" Robin teases, earning a vigorous nod from his son.

"Uh-huh. Because since Regina's my mama now, that means Henry's my brother too! Isn't that right, Henry?" Roland turns to look at the teenager in question as does Regina, touched by the thought.

The eldest of her two sons smiles sheepishly as the attention is suddenly thrown on him. "Well, of course. It only makes sense," he confirms with a shrug, but Regina can tell he actually is very pleased with the notion. Her little prince and her little knight- two boys who worked their ways into her heart separately but somehow found each other and now own all of it (well, almost all of it. There's a decent sized piece a certain thief has spoken for.).

Said thief sends a smile her way as he sets Roland down again. "Tell you what, my boy. How about you take your _brother_ and go set the table for dinner, hmm?"

The little boy nods and runs around the island, grabbing onto Henry's hand and tugging him toward the door. "Come on, Henry. We need to set the table!"

"Whoa, there, bud, slow down. We need plates and silverware first," Henry laughs, pulling the younger boy toward the stack of dishware Robin had left sitting on the counter from earlier.

"Oh yeah," Roland giggles, opening a few drawers before finding the one with utensils. He takes a handful of forks, knives, and spoons as Henry grabs the plates and then they're trotting into the dining room, one brother after the other.

Regina looks up at Robin as they go and as soon as they're out of sight, he's pulling her to him and placing a tender kiss on her lips. "See, milady?" he murmurs, brushing hair off her forehead. "I told you he loves you too much."

She smiles again (has she ever smiled so much in one evening?) and puts a hand on the back of his neck to pull him down for another kiss. "And I love him," she hums, feeling her heart flutter at the thought. "And you, and Henry, and our little family," she adds, a kiss coming between each name.

"You took the words right out my mouth, love," Robin smiles, locking their lips for a more languid contact this time. When they separate, he presses his forehead to hers and she can feel his furrowed brow.

"What's the matter?" she whispers, fingers playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck. How could anything possibly be wrong right now? It's absolutely unfathomable and that's coming from the biggest pessimist in Storybrooke (Emma's declaration, not her own).

"I just… what Roland said… about the baby…"

Oh. Right. She had forgotten about that in her joy. She supposes Henry had been the one to come up with it, the one to give Roland that idea. Although, if she's being honest, she had thought about it more often than not lately- the conversation she's been not exactly avoiding, but not exactly seeking out either. "What about it?" she asks because frankly, she's not sure of Robin's thoughts on the whole matter.

He exhales, taking a step back so they can see each other clearly. He takes both her hands in his before looking her in the eye. "I didn't say that to him, that you would be his sister's mother," he sighs, tone almost apologetic. "And I don't want you to think I expect that of you. I would never assume something like that without asking you first."

Regina nods, licking her lips. Well, she knew that much at least. "And are you? Asking me?" she tries, surprised at how rapidly her heart has started to beat.

"If I do, what would you say?" Robin asks, his blue eyes searching her own.

Regina has to look down at the intensity of his gaze. Everything's taken a turn all of a sudden. They need to talk more, figure more things out and they can't do that with their sons just in the other room. "Is 'I don't know' an acceptable answer for now?" she settles on, eyes flicking back up to his.

He smiles, pulling her against him again. "Yes, love, it is. I know things aren't as simple as the boys seem to make them."

"No, they're not," she admits with a shake of her head.

"So for now, I will be grateful that you've become a mother to one of my children. Something, I think, we really should celebrate," Robin declares, a playful tone entering his voice.

Regina raises an eyebrow, helpless to the smile that comes to her lips. "And the celebration you have in mind, is it appropriate for having a five-year-old and a thirteen-year-old in the next room?" she whispers, mouth subconsciously moving closer to his.

"No, it absolutely is not," Robin promises with a wink just before locking his lips with hers.

"Are they kissing again?" a very loud whisper comes from the other room and Regina breaks the kiss on a laugh, looking over Robin's shoulder just in time to see Henry's head disappearing behind the doorframe.

"Yep," is the disgusted reply, earning a chuckle from Robin.

"I suppose we should join our sons for dinner," he suggests, placing one more chaste kiss on her lips before taking a step back.

"That's probably a good idea," she agrees, moving over to the oven to take out the casserole that had been keeping warm this whole time. "Grab the sauce pot, would you?" she asks, turning the knob to shut off the oven.

"You know, love, I just realized another wonderful thing that has come out of all this," Robin begins, grabbing a ladle from a drawer.

"What's that?"

"Now I'm not the only one who can sign all those blasted forms Roland brings home from school."

Regina laughs as she rolls her eyes, giving him a playful shove toward the dining room with her hip, hands full with casserole and heart full with the knowledge she's about to eat dinner with her soulmate and _both_ her sons. She rather likes the thought.


	4. Epilogue

**A/N: This was not part of the original story, but some people in the reviews gave me a few ideas and so an epilogue was born! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who read, faved, followed, and reviewed. I was and still am absolutely blown away by the response this story received. Thank you all so much for reading my writing. I never thought anyone would.**

* * *

Roland takes a deep breath, wishing the pitter-pattering in his chest would cut it out. He's not nervous. Why would he be nervous? There's no reason to be nervous. Not with Henry beside him. He looks up at his brother, the brim of his knit hat slouching past his eyebrows as he does so. Henry notices and pulls the hat out of his eyes, smiling down at him.

"You ready?" Henry asks, squeezing Roland's mittened hand with his gloved one.

Roland nods, feeling some kind of minty tingly thing spread across his chest. Maybe that's what bravery feels like. Papa would be pretty proud of him for being brave, he thinks. So would Mommy.

"Alright, point 'em out to me," Henry says, returning his gaze to the playground stretching out before them.

Roland looks around, holding tightly to Henry's hand so that he can hold just as tightly to his bravery. It's after school, they're waiting for the bus to pick them up at Roland's school and normally Henry gets on at the middle school, but today is different. It's different because Roland has a mommy and a brother now and there is a certain group of fourth graders who need to be told what's what. Or at least that's what Henry said last night. Roland's not entirely sure what that means, but Henry had said they'd take care of it together, like a brother type of thing, and so Roland thinks it's a great idea… whatever it is.

"Over there," Roland mumbles, pointing in the direction of the boys when he sees them. He squirms a little closer to Henry. Bravery is a lot harder to hold onto when you're looking at the thing you're scared of, he realizes.

Henry looks in the direction Roland pointed and narrows his eyes when he sees the boys in question. "Alright, come on. We got this," he declares, pulling the little boy along with him.

 _Don't be nervous, don't be nervous_ , Roland keeps telling himself as they get closer. _Be brave like Papa and Mommy. Be brave like Henry._

"Hey!" Henry snaps when they're right in front of the boys. All three of them turn to look at the brothers, the biggest one stepping forward, giving Roland one of those scary smiles again. _Be brave, be brave…_

"Look, fellas. It's the _freak_ ," the boy teases meanly and Roland feels Henry squeeze his hand again.

"What did you just call my brother?" Henry asks, stepping forward.

The boy looks up at him and Roland thinks he can see the bravery leaving the boy's face. "I… uh…"

"I heard you were picking on Roland," Henry continues, taking another step forward and forcing the boy to take a step back.

"Well… that's a… that's a lie, isn't it?" the boy denies, looking back at his friends for confirmation. They nod in support.

"Oh, so now you're not only calling him a freak, but you're calling him a liar, too?"

"No… I mean, uh, yeah?"

Roland has to try really hard not to giggle at the boy's face. He doesn't look so scary anymore. In fact, he looks kinda funny. Like Uncle Will when Papa catches him eating food he's not supposed to eat.

"I don't like you talking to my brother like that," Henry says, crossing his arms. "And I think, if I were you, I'd leave Roland alone from now on or else you'll have to answer to me. Unless, of course, you want me to use a more _magical_ way of persuading you."

Roland watches as the boy swallows and shakes his head. "We don't want any trouble."

"Oh, neither do I, but you got yourselves into trouble when you decided to be bad guys. And if you know anything about my family, then you'll know we don't deal nicely with bad guys," Henry continues, his voice dropping to a hissing whisper.

The boy puts his hands up and steps back. "We'll leave him alone. I promise!"

"Good. Now get of here," Henry orders and the three boys turn and scurry away, none of them looking back as they leave. Roland feels his chest get all big with pride. He has the coolest brother ever. Henry watches them go before turning back around and looking down at Roland. He smiles and holds out his hand, palm facing upward.

Roland slaps his palm against Henry's and grins. "You did it, Henry!" he exclaims, bouncing on his toes.

"I don't think they'll be bugging you ever again, kiddo," Henry promises, adjusting the brim of his own hat.

Roland nods but then pauses, thinking back to what Henry had said to them. Something doesn't make sense. "Wait a minute. You said you'd use magic on them if they didn't stop. I thought you said you don't know magic?"

Henry chuckles. "I don't. But, they don't need to know that. A little white lie never hurt anybody," he explains with a wink.

Roland's not sure what a 'little white lie' is, but he laughs anyway and takes Henry's hand when he holds it out to him. "C'mon, kiddo. We have an appointment at Granny's." Now Roland's chest is not only minty tingly with bravery and big with pride, but he thinks he feels a new kind of feeling in there somewhere too. It must be a brother-type thing.

* * *

Regina checks her watch for what feels like the thousandth time, eyes going from her wrist to the door and back again. Granny has asked for her order probably three times now and each time she gives the same response: that she is waiting for her family and if there's a problem, she'll be more than happy to look at the diner's building health permit since having half-wolves in the kitchen is most definitely some kind of violation.

The ringing of the front bell has her looking up again and she smiles when she sees Robin striding inside, his own grin spreading wide upon seeing her. "Hello, love," he greets, placing a kiss on her lips before sliding into the seat across from her. "Where are the boys? I thought for certain they'd beat me here."

"I don't know, I thought the same," Regina muses as Robin reaches for her hand and starts swirling circles on her palm. She leans back in the booth, feeling a small bit of her stress melting away at his ministrations. Logically, she knows she shouldn't worry about the boys. It's only fifteen minutes past the time they said they'd be here, but the mother in her can't help but feel concerned.

"How was your day?" she sighs, smiling when he groans dramatically.

"If I have to hear David and Emma argue over Killian moving in with her one more time, I think I might just lock them both in the interrogation room," Robin grumbles, poking her palm with his finger to emphasize his frustration.

Regina rolls her eyes. "David gave me the same schtick when you and Roland moved in."

"He did?" Robin asks, looking both surprised and annoyed.

"The man is set in his traditional ways. He doesn't think people should live together unless they're _married_ ," she explains, unable to keep emphasis off the last word, her eyebrow arching pointedly.

Robin chuckles at her implication and brings her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "Patience is a virtue, my love," he states playfully. Regina scowls.

"And my ring size is a six," she replies, earning another laugh from the thief.

In all honesty, marriage has only been a very recent topic of conversation between the two of them and even then, the discussions have barely gone past the mutual agreement that they both think it's in the cards. Regardless, she can't help but think how lovely it would be to actually be in a marriage that's filled with love and support instead of the empty, lonely shell that was her first union.

"I'll keep that in mind," Robin promises with a wink.

She's about to respond that he better, but a joyful shout from the door stops her.

"Mommy!" Roland cries gleefully as he skips toward the booth, Henry following at a slower pace behind him. The little boy practically catapults himself at Regina and she has to laugh as she welcomes him into her arms, kissing the top of his hat.

"Hello, my little knight," she greets, angling her head upwards as Henry places a kiss on her cheek. "What took you boys so long? I was starting to worry."

"We were dealing with some bad guys," Henry explains simply, sliding into the booth when Robin stands to allow the teenager to sit next to the wall.

"Bad guys? Sounds serious," Robin comments, taking the aisle seat next to Henry.

Roland nods. "It was. But Henry took care of them, didn't you, Henry?" he prompts eagerly, dimples on full display.

Regina slides him off her lap and settles him into the booth beside her, pulling off his hat and smoothing down his hair. She helps him with the zipper of his coat and slides that off too, pulling it out from behind him and tossing it into the space between Roland and the wall. "Did you now, Henry?" she echoes, looking at her eldest with a curious yet suspicious expression.

He nods, licking his lips. "I merely told the kids who picked on Roland yesterday that they better leave him alone or else they'll have to answer to me," he explains with a shrug.

"You didn't get into a fight, did you?" Regina asks warningly. Henry's never been aggressive, but teenage hormones _have_ started to rear their ugly head on occasion and that could lead to impulsiveness.

Henry shakes his head. "Of course not. I took care of it in a very _mayoral_ manner," he assures her with a sly grin that she can't help but return. It would seem she's taught her little prince well.

"That was very kind of you, Henry, thank you," Robin expresses sincerely, squeezing the teenager's shoulder.

Regina feels a tug on her sleeve and she looks down to see Roland peering up at her. "Mommy, what's a little white lie?"

"That's what they're all telling you if you think the Evil Queen is your mother."

All four of them turn to follow the sound of the voice, eyes landing on a man Regina's positive she's seen around town before, but never spoken to. He's sitting a table away, sipping on a tumbler of some alcoholic substance no doubt, glowering in their direction. Specifically, _her_ direction.

"I don't remember inviting you to the conversation," Robin points out, his voice sounding calm but Regina can detect the underlying warning, the protectiveness that immediately sprung up.

"I don't care if you did. Can't sit idly by while a young boy is being corrupted by the lies of an evil queen and a rotten thief," the man spits, his obvious contempt for the family growing with every word.

Regina's eyebrows go flying up. Who is this guy- getting drunk at 4 in the afternoon- to judge them? "I don't believe you are one to talk on the subject of moral character," Regina chimes in, trying to quell the anger rising in her throat for her sons' sakes. It wouldn't do to forcefully toss someone through a window in front of them.

The man ignores her and leans on his table, looking past her at Roland. Regina feels the little boy wiggle closer to her and she has the overwhelming urge to tuck him against her side, shielding him from whatever hatefulness the man is planning to send his way.

"Hey, kid? Whatever they told you to make you think this _witch_ is your mother is a straight up lie. She ain't your mother and you should be right happy about that. She's a wicked, evil, destructive, life-ruining monster-"

"I think we've heard enough from you," Robin interrupts, standing promptly despite Regina's hand shooting out to grab his arm. A scene is the last thing she wants.

The man scoffs and takes another sip of his drink. "Figures you'd defend her since you're sleeping with the slu-"

He doesn't get a chance to finish because Robin's fist interrupts him, a nasty cracking sound permeating through the now silent diner. Regina and Henry both jump up, not being able to stand completely straight due to the table. Granny comes out from the back, usual huffiness multiplied when she sees the blood seeping from the man's evidently broken nose.

Robin grabs him by his jacket, pulls him from his seat and shoves him toward the door. "Get out," he orders. "And never talk to my family again."

The man glares at them for a few moments longer before turning and stalking out, hand grasped firmly over his nose. Robin straightens his shirt and sits back down, breath slowly calming. "Sorry," he murmurs quietly as Regina and Henry slowly sink back down to their own seats.

"It's fine," Regina whispers, pressing Roland tighter against her side. She dare not look at the boy out of fear that his expression will break her heart. Less than twenty-four hours. She had been his mother for less than twenty-four hours and some drunken asshole went and completely ripped their newfound happiness to shreds. Roland must be so confused, devastated, upset-

But then she feels him squirming and suddenly a mop of curly hair pops up in her peripheral vision and she turns to see Roland standing on the bench, hands on his hips. He looks angry, brow furrowed quite tightly and she blinks at him in surprise. "Roland, what are you-" she begins, but he doesn't give her a chance to finish.

"Excuse me!" he shouts, getting the attention of the diner goers who had mostly resumed their respective conversations after the scene had died down.

"Roland," Robin whispers, eyes wide in a silent plea for his son to sit down. His son doesn't listen.

"I just wanted to say," Roland continues, "That Regina is my mommy now because she loves me and I love her and if anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with _me."_ He points to himself, tiny thumb jabbing his chest. "I don't care what anyone else says. She's my mommy now and that's final. No take-backsies. That's all I wanted to say."

He plops back down in his seat, the other three members of his family gaping at him. Regina's not sure if she's embarrassed, shocked, or touched. Did that… did that really just happen? She chances a look at the other people in the diner and is rather surprised to find most of them chuckling or smiling good-naturedly. Well, that's certainly a new one.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Roland asks, tugging on her sleeve again.

She catches Robin's gaze, a mix of shock and adoration in his blue eyes, before looking at Roland. "I'm fine, sweetheart," she assures him, wrapping her arm around him again. "I just… that was a very brave thing you did."

He smiles up at her and at the sight of his dimples, she feels herself relaxing. He just defended her in front of a diner full of people, most of whom probably cross the street when they see her coming down the sidewalk. Her little knight, indeed.

"What that man said was very mean," Roland explains. "And it's not true. I didn't want anyone else to think that it was."

"I'm proud of you, son," Robin beams at him, returning his son's dimples with a pair of his own. "Regina's right. That was very brave."

"Yeah," Henry agrees with a nod. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

Roland bounces in his seat, legs swinging with pride under the table. Regina leans down and kisses the top of his head. "Sounds like someone earned himself a banana split," she whispers to him conspiratorially.

His little arms go up in the air with a "whoo!" and laughter erupts among the other members of the table. Regina looks around at the three people she loves the most and can't help but think that she finally got something right. Her family, perfectly imperfect in every way. And she doesn't know it, but the little boy sitting right next to her is thinking nearly the same thing. His mommy- perfect in every way.


End file.
